I haven't been painting as much lately, as I have just started my second year of college in beautiful Cork City ("da real capital"). I've been enjoying it so far, especially because my first year was entirely online due to COVID-19. Studying Celtic Studies and History gives me a great excuse to spend lots of time immersed in subjects I'm very passionate about!
I've managed to get another batch of rebels completed, meaning the last two Groups are done. You'll notice that one of the Groups is a man short; I ordered one model too few at the start of the project. I just received a parcel from Skytrex containing the next batch of figures for the project, which has more than made up for the deficit!
The above flag is taken from this article.
The last Group needed for the project.
Not based on any one historical example; just some fairly typical United Irishmen symbols.
Throughout this project I have been using the glazing technique to add character to faces. It was very daunting at first, but well worth learning.
The article linked above notes that some Wexford rebels displayed symbols such as "JHS" (Jesus Hominum Salvator) on their hats. It doesn't give a source, but this practice seems to have been fairly commonplace. Fr. Philip Roche distributed Scapulars to the rebels, which they believed would offer protection. He also wrote "Protections" for those under his command. (S. De Vál, "Father Philip Roche" in "Boolavogue", Fr. Murphy Centre, 1998).
I'm now starting the final (yes, the very last!) batch of figures for the United Irishmen list. This contains mostly Leaders, which I'm excited to show you.
This fella's name is Bran. He will be a companion to one of the Leaders. As far as I know, wolfhounds would have been quite uncommon by 1798. They had been in decline, as the last wild wolf had been hunted in 1786. Bran truly is a rare breed! I felt I had to include a wolfhound in the army, as they have long been an important image in Irish culture; one of Bran's ancestors had Fionn Mac Cumhaill for his master....
I am currently reading "The Year of the French" by Thomas Flanagan. It's a historical novel set in County Mayo towards the end of summer 1798. I had read excellent reviews of this book, and I have to say it's fantastic so far! I'll write a full review on the blog once I'm finished it.
The book is perfect inspiration for the next phase of this project. The Frenchmen have arrived on my painting desk!
Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua!
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